Since opening his first Tandoori Times restaurant in September 2001, Amit Tuteja has established the Tandoori Times name as one of Melbourne’s  most notable Indian dining experiences. Now with three restaurants, one each in Yarraville, Fitzroy and St Kilda, Amit is already planning several new restaurants and even a Bollywood-themed bar. Taking centre stage at the front counter of each Tandoori Times operation – a highly versatile POS solution running on a Toshiba ST-A10 TouchPOS terminal.

Challenge: Cut administration and support expansion

With three restaurants in full swing, Amit was finding himself devoting the majority of his time to administration. While many within the industry might regard this as understandable – even acceptable – Amit saw it is a potential threat to the feasibility of his expansion strategy.

“It was taking me upwards of a week just to keep everything under control at the restaurants,” Amit explains. “Even then, key issues such as invoice management and stock control simply weren’t being properly addressed; and this was a definite problem that I needed to address before I considered any further expansion of the business.”

Realising that the time was well and truly right for an all-in-one POS solution to replace the manual systems that had been in use since launching the business, Amit began a systematic search of the market to identify a solution and solution provider that would reduce his administrative overload and support the establishment of more Tandoori Times sites.

Solution: Toshiba TEC and Sorento Systems

Following several false starts with companies that demonstrated a greater interest in their bottom line rather than that of Tandoori Times, Amit approached Sorento Systems, a Toshiba TEC partner specialising in reliable and comprehensive POS solutions for the hospitality and retail industries.

According to Amit, it didn’t take long at all for him to recognise the benefits and advantages of a Sorento Systems solution that featured the Toshiba ST-A10 TouchPOS terminal and Sorento Express software. “In comparison to what I’d already seen, this was the one solution that would give me total restaurant management, the support I needed, reliability and even style,” he says.

The decision made, Amit partnered with Sorento Systems and authorised the solution’s implementation at each of his restaurants; and in less than three weeks, the transition had been made and an entirely new way of running the business was in his hands.

Anytime and anywhere administration

The first major change that came about at the Tandoori Times restaurants was an almost immediate elimination of the old paper-based systems. Now, with the Sorento Express software used to help control virtually every aspect of restaurant and business management, Amit has been able to cut approximately 50 per cent off the time he previously had to spend on administration. More importantly, it’s being achieved with far greater levels of accuracy and freedom.

Using a notebook computer – which was provided to him as part of the full solution – Amit is able to log on remotely to any of the Toshiba ST-A10 TouchPOS terminals via the Internet and gain immediate access to the Sorento Express software. “With the remote access feature, I’m able to download reports, such as stock levels and staff timesheets right to my notebook,” he says.

“It also means I can see up-to-the-minute activity, which includes what dishes are being ordered and even how much money has been taken during service. And when you’re dealing with three restaurants simultaneously, that level of control and visibility is absolutely invaluable.”

Foundation for growth 

From a business growth perspective, Amit regards the Toshiba ST-A10 TouchPOS terminal and Sorento Express software as being fundamental to success. And with at least two new restaurants and a Bollywood-themed bar planned for opening over the next 18 months, the role of the new solution is taking on even greater levels of importance.

“With growth in business comes an increased need for smooth and accurate management,” Amit states. “Because the system is so comprehensive, I can see immediately where profits are being made and lost. With that information, I’m able to identify and address any problems before they start to have an impact on the business.”

Keeping an eye on the operations of his restaurants means more to Amit than viewing screens of information and generating reports. As a professional chef and restaurateur who is dedicated to quality at every level, he is constantly travelling between Tandoori Times sites, working with staff, fine tuning menus and keeping a finger on the pulse of his business. But time can easily work against him, and as the business grows, Amit recognises the need for, well, an extra eye!

To provide him that extra eye, Sorento Systems is taking full advantage of the Toshiba ST-A10 TouchPOS terminal’s easy and flexible configuration features to install a Webcam on each terminal. The result is that Amit will be able to view what’s actually going on in his restaurants just as easily as he is now able to access the Sorento Express software.

Service, support…and a good look

Regardless of the all the benefits Amit is gaining from the use of the Toshiba ST-A10 TouchPOS terminal and Sorento Express software at each of his restaurants, it was much more than functionality alone that made his decision fairly straightforward. He explains: “The team at Sorento Systems demonstrated to me that they were committed to service and support that I simply didn’t see with other companies; and when you’re deciding on a system that will be so critical to business operations, the importance of that commitment can’t be understated.

“When it comes to the hardware itself, the Toshiba ST-A10 TouchPOS terminal is proving itself to be the ideal product,” Amit continues. “Aside from the fact that it’s incredibly reliable and obviously designed to be a perfect fit for the restaurant industry, it looks good!

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